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You can create your own luck, too. Not as big s theirs, but enough to open up good opportunities. Its just a matter of spending some time away from the keyboard

You can create your own luck, too. Not as big s theirs, but enough to open up good opportunities. Its just a matter of spending some time away from the keyboard, talking with the people who have the keys to the doors. Almost all of the time, a simple please will get them to open up the door for you. Just ask.

w1ntermute 13y ago
Talking to people is of course important, but it's also about being in the right place at the right time. You can't just "create your own luck."
- orangethirty 13y ago
  That is where the being away from the keyboard part comes into action. You have to actually meet with people to be able to talk them into giving you opportunities.
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    I don't mean physically being in the right place at the right time. I mean that you happen to be interested in and start a company at the right point in history, where a confluence of technological and societal factors enable you to be that one-in-a-billion person like Jobs or the Zuck. Just running around talking to people isn't going to make you Jobs or the Zuck. It's necessary, but definitely not sufficient. Of course, that's not to say that you can't be a moderately successful entrepreneur if you "hustle" enough. Just don't expect to have books written and movies made about you. I know plenty of people who have started ventures in important niches and have found moderate success. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of if you exit for $10 or 20 million after a couple of years of hard work. But, going in, you have to be aware of the fact that you're almost definitely not going to end up a multi-billionaire.
- mindcrime 13y ago
  Depends on how you define "luck" I guess. In a strictly pedantic sense, I agree that you "can't create luck" as there is no such thing. Luck is just a word we apply, in retrospect, to describe what did or didn't happen. But I would argue very ardently that the expression "the harder I work, the luckier I get" contains a great deal of truth. Work, intent, and focused will can do a lot to shape the world we live in. I'm reminded of that post that showed up here a year or so back about "how to date a supermodel", which started with something like "move to where supermodels live and go the bars where they go". Yeah, that might not be sufficient, but there's a lot to be said for the "create my own luck" aspect of at least taking the actions that are needed to move you towards your goals.
  - w1ntermute 13y ago
    You should obviously do whatever you can to improve your chances of success. I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect to be the next Facebook or Apple, because that's unrealistic. There's nothing wrong with expecting moderate success. > I'm reminded of that post that showed up here a year or so back about "how to date a supermodel", which started with something like "move to where supermodels live and go the bars where they go". Yeah, that might not be sufficient, but there's a lot to be said for the "create my own luck" aspect of at least taking the actions that are needed to move you towards your goals. To follow up on your supermodel analogy, if you were to do that, it would be reasonable to expect that you'll eventually score a date with a supermodel - just don't expect to score a date with $a_top_10_supermodel (whoever that might be).
    - mindcrime 13y ago
      Agreed.
    - orangethirty 13y ago
      Yeah, being an average success is great too! I'm average at best, and I have an awesome lifestyle. I dont care about the billions. I just cre about providing a good life for my family.
ph0rque 13y ago
I wish there was an easier way to find those people with keys.
- orangethirty 13y ago
  Sometimes we just need to find our own keys (or even pick the lock). (:

w1ntermute 13y ago

Talking to people is of course important, but it's also about being in the right place at the right time. You can't just "create your own luck."

orangethirty 13y ago
That is where the being away from the keyboard part comes into action. You have to actually meet with people to be able to talk them into giving you opportunities.
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  I don't mean physically being in the right place at the right time. I mean that you happen to be interested in and start a company at the right point in history, where a confluence of technological and societal factors enable you to be that one-in-a-billion person like Jobs or the Zuck. Just running around talking to people isn't going to make you Jobs or the Zuck. It's necessary, but definitely not sufficient. Of course, that's not to say that you can't be a moderately successful entrepreneur if you "hustle" enough. Just don't expect to have books written and movies made about you. I know plenty of people who have started ventures in important niches and have found moderate success. There's absolutely nothing to be ashamed of if you exit for $10 or 20 million after a couple of years of hard work. But, going in, you have to be aware of the fact that you're almost definitely not going to end up a multi-billionaire.
mindcrime 13y ago
Depends on how you define "luck" I guess. In a strictly pedantic sense, I agree that you "can't create luck" as there is no such thing. Luck is just a word we apply, in retrospect, to describe what did or didn't happen. But I would argue very ardently that the expression "the harder I work, the luckier I get" contains a great deal of truth. Work, intent, and focused will can do a lot to shape the world we live in. I'm reminded of that post that showed up here a year or so back about "how to date a supermodel", which started with something like "move to where supermodels live and go the bars where they go". Yeah, that might not be sufficient, but there's a lot to be said for the "create my own luck" aspect of at least taking the actions that are needed to move you towards your goals.
- w1ntermute 13y ago
  You should obviously do whatever you can to improve your chances of success. I'm just saying that you shouldn't expect to be the next Facebook or Apple, because that's unrealistic. There's nothing wrong with expecting moderate success. > I'm reminded of that post that showed up here a year or so back about "how to date a supermodel", which started with something like "move to where supermodels live and go the bars where they go". Yeah, that might not be sufficient, but there's a lot to be said for the "create my own luck" aspect of at least taking the actions that are needed to move you towards your goals. To follow up on your supermodel analogy, if you were to do that, it would be reasonable to expect that you'll eventually score a date with a supermodel - just don't expect to score a date with $a_top_10_supermodel (whoever that might be).
  - mindcrime 13y ago
    Agreed.
  - orangethirty 13y ago
    Yeah, being an average success is great too! I'm average at best, and I have an awesome lifestyle. I dont care about the billions. I just cre about providing a good life for my family.

ph0rque 13y ago

I wish there was an easier way to find those people with keys.

orangethirty 13y ago
Sometimes we just need to find our own keys (or even pick the lock). (: